Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-04-28
A MORMON elRL.s FATE
The Dramatic Story OF Pretty aIary Lee
and Her Two Lovers

~H~-oT1iaS 10 4 JSrscnO (Otaht CORE
spondent OF the New York San, sixteen
years ago Samuel Bates. a Mormon, then
the possessor of two wives, Ann and
Jare, the latter being childless, took Mary
Lee, an orphan, to bring up according to
therites of the Church of the Latter Day
Saints As Ann had many children tc
comfort her the babe was placed in charge
OF Jane, devout Mormon, herself born in
the faith Mary Lees parents were from
England Her mother was delicate lit
tie woman, well remembered by many
here as a fearful and unhappy person.
Times were hard with them when they
nrst appeared here, and they grew harder
for some reason Just as her husband
was about TO take a second wife, evident
~ against the wishes of the COM
panion of his youth, he was killed in
snow slide, and three months after that
the widow died some say of a broken
heart, leaving little Mary alone in the
world Samuel Bates was something of a
man among the Mormons. He was called
brother Bates. His first wife was hard
coarse woman, but Jane, 10 whom the lit
tie orphan went. was tender, rather good
looking, and filed with a stern and IN
bending faith in the divinity Of her re-
igion and determination to s'live'' it to
the end The child which thus fell to her
partook Of her dead mothers disposition.
As she grew to womanhood she became
fair TO degree not often seen in these
parts, but in spirits she was gloomy, sad,
and reticent- Surrounded by Mormons
and taught by the pious Jane, she became
almost fanatic on the subject of re-
hglon herself. and readily accepted all
that was instilled into her mind as the in
spiration of the Lord.
A year or two ago Mary Lee became &C
quainted with young man living in
mining camp not far from here, Gentle,
OF course, as no Mormon delves for gold
and silver. The youth, Seth Bentley by
name, rarely lost an opportunity to pay
the girl little attentions, and at length it
became the rumor that he was her &C
cepted lover. She would stroll away to
the foot hills to meet him, of evenings
they would be seen by the mountain brook
which winds through the town, and on
Sunday afternoons, particularly when
Brother Bates was away from home, they
would be riding or walking together.
Jane made no opposition to the intimacy,
but when Brother Bates attention was
called to the matter he felt that it was his
duty to interfere. Little by little James
mind was won over to his way of think
ing, though at first she had been unsus-
pecting. Bentley was forbidden the
house, and the girl was told
that she must never meet him
again. But they met after this,
not as a result of Mary's disobedience,
but by reason of Bentley's persistence.
He found her one day last summer dorm
by the brook, and when she would have
run from him he caught her, and, holding
her closely, he told her OF his affection for
her, and entreated her to become his
wife, and in return received some en-
enlargement. From that time on they
met occasionally, unknown to Brother
Bates or to Jane.
In September Brother Bates went to-
New Mexico on an exhortation tour, and
when he returned in October he brought
back with him a Mormon elder named
| Crafty, who, seeing Mary Lee, bethought
him that he would like to take another
wife, his fifth, and he accordingly
preached the subject to her on the second
! day after his arrival. The girl repeled
him with horror, but he pressed his suit,
and at length brought Brother Bates to
his assistance. At first Jane opposed the
| proposition She was a sincere Mormon,
| but her affection for her foster child got
! the better of her faith for a time, and
until she could be placated Elder
| Crafty had to hang his harp on
the willow. The means resorted to to
| bring Jane to see the error of her ways
are familiar to all who have had inter-
course with the strange people who in
| habit these valleys. Brother Bates had a
vision. Then Elder Crafty had vision.
! Then Bishop who was passing through
| Jericho valley had a vision. Then the
| Sunday-school superintendent, the Sun
day-school teachers, and the local elders
| and missionaries had visions. BY a singu-
| lar concensus OF opinion all had seen the
same thing. Mary Lee was Gods choice
for Elder Cratty's wife. Still the girl,
now most of the time in tears, like her
unhappy mother, dead sixteen years.
shrank from the proffer or the visitor and
her foster-mother the kindly but super
stitious Jane, still demurred, though
growing weaker and weaker in her OPP
position
The visions failing of the desired effect,
| Elder Crafty and Brother Bates went up
into the mountains some time, and,
fasting for fourteen days and ni~,n1s'
they wrestled with ths Lord,
| and at the end OF their vigil
they Were rewar--ued by seeing a great
Aght Gnu nearing a voice from Heaven
+ saying that Elder Crafty should take
Mary Lee to wife, and that further delay
would be both unseemly and displeasing
to the Lord. With this revelation and the
further assurance that spirit had ap-
peared unto Crafty in vision saying that
if Mary Lee would marry him she would
receive the requisite affection for her hus-
| band by praying for it in the temple, the
two wended their way homeward and
communicated to Jane the result of their
prayers and fastings. In the face of such
undoubted evidence of the Lords ap-
| provaI that good woman could say no
more, and taking the girl to one side she
advised her to give UP her Gentle lover
and cling to the husband selected for her
| by God, who had promised his servants
/ that if she did not love him now the spirit
would confer great and surprising afec-
ton upon her at her nuptials.
Mary Lees own faith was strong,
and her inclination to follow
| the teachings of her re-
| lig1on was great; but it took many more
/ interviews TO bring her 10 admit that she
had decided to obey the command When
! she at last gave her consent there was